Worthy local organizations receive $341K in federal funding

YMCA of Oakville, Food for Life, OakvilleReady and the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton received substantial program funding.

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Local dignitaries assembled at the Oakville YMCA gym to announce significant federal funding for several very worthy organizations that deliver invaluable services to our community.

Halton MPs Pam Damoff (Oakville North-Burlington),  Anita Anand (Oakville), and Adam van Koeverden (Milton), together with representatives from YMCA Oakville,  Food for Life, OakvilleReady and the Canadian Caribbean Association of Canada (CCAH), announced $187,111 in funding to support three projects as part of the Federal Government’s Canada Healthy Communities Initiative (CHCI,) and an additional $154,000 federal funding to support the mental wellness program at the Oakville YMCA. 

"This funding will benefit residents right here in Halton for years to come," stated MP Damoff.

Feb.27 federal funding 

  • $99,000 invested through the CHCI in Food for Life to fund a digital infrastructure initiative."Connected, Supported, Healthy - A Digital Community Infrastructure Initiative is the next step in Food for Life's evolution to increase the health and wellness of our communities through healthy nutritious GOOD food and collaborative approaches to social support connections and access to adequate life supports," commented Food for Life Executive Director Graham Hill. 
  • $57,190 invested in OakvilleReady through the CHCI to fund projects and outreach initiatives designed to increase the community’s resilience to climate change;
  • $30,921 will be invested in the CCAH through the CHCI to fund the creation of a community garden.
  • $154,000 over 2 years in federal funding will be invested in the YMCA of Oakville as part of Budget 2021’s commitment of $100 million through the Public Health Agency of Canada to support projects that promote mental health.  The funding will support the scaling up and expansion of the Y Mind program at the Oakville YMCA and cover the pilot phase, which includes delivery of a minimum of 6 sessions of Y Mind and 6 sessions of Mental Health First Aid.

“Public spaces are at the heart of our communities. Spending time outdoors is one of the best ways to improve our mental health and well-being," added Minister Anand. "The investments highlighted today in the YMCA Oakville, Food for Life, OakvilleReady, and the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton will enable healthy living, improve mental health resources, create jobs, and deliver results for Oakville and Halton.”

CCAH President Andrew Tyrrell added, “We are grateful for the financial support that has allowed us to build a community garden that embodies our organization’s four pillars: education, culture, community, and harmony. The garden is it’s a place to educate children in our summer camp about the growing cycle of plants and food. It produces vegetables that allow those with food insecurities to thrive but also a way to discuss culture and cooking, it brings together our community who help to plant and tend the garden, harvest the produce, and then prepare for the winter season, and it’s a place to bring harmony by acknowledging that lands which the garden has been built upon are steeped in Indigenous history.”

Through the CHCI, the Government of Canada, alongside Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), are helping communities establish safer public spaces for residents across the country with a $31 million investment. This funding

"The received funds will be used to ensure safe, inclusive, and accessible indoor and outdoor spaces, provide targeted climate outreach and education throughout the year, prepare OakvilleReady facilities to aid the community in time of need and to help the community mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change,” stated Oakville's Mayor Rob Burton.